Ask the Editors

Ask the Editors 

by, 

The Editors 

Episode 12

Hello again and welcome back. We are in our preteen years here at the Editors Desk, so be prepared for a lot of whining, complaining, and temper tantrums in upcoming episodes. But for now, lets just get to this weeks question, which comes to us via Facebook Messenger:

"Why, after so many years, do you still prioritize playing Realms over the other ways you can be spending those weekends." 

~Anonymous 

Very good question! Why do we? Let's find out!


First up, Jeremy 'Nighthawk' and Lani 'Gwen' Grayson

“This is an interesting question that I think most people who play Realms have heard at some point or other, especially as we grow older. For us, there are a few reasons we are still active in the Realms community (Jeremy’s been around for 21 years, I’m still a newbie at 9 years). The first reason that comes to mind is that the people in Realms are our friends, those are the people we want to be spending time with on the weekends anyway. As a follow up, Realms is the place where Jeremy and I met, and we still enjoy playing and helping out together, so it gives us something to do together on the weekends. In addition, we both try to give back to the game when we can by helping in various ways. For us, it’s a way to ensure that we are helping to keep the Realms running strong, which is important to both of us. And ultimately, I’m not sure what we would do with our weekends if we weren’t at Realms...is there a better way to spend your weekend?”

Thank you to The Grayson's for their input.


Next up, let's hear from this weeks winner of 'shortest answer' Alex 'Lucas' Newbold:

“Everyone says it's the people, but it's not the people. It's the challenge, the excitement, and the stories. Which, lets face it, are created by the people. So, it's the people.”

Thank you, Alex.


Last up, let's hear from Sara 'Zarine' Jessop:

“It's interesting because this question seems to assume that I choose Realms over more important things in my life, which I don't. On any given weekend I decide what I am doing based on what is more of a priority at that time. I miss many events due to work, because I have prioritized my career over the game. I could change professions and make more events if I didn't have to work every Saturday, but I would never do that because I love what I do and that is more important to me that making every event every weekend. I could still make it to events later on Saturdays and Sundays, but I usually would rather doing something else other than make the drive for what is mostly just night questing (which isn't my thing) and doing nothing on Sunday but driving home. So an event has to really appeal to me for it to become a priority. Usually the appeal for me if a large number of my friends are going, if there is a good amount of socializing, and if there is going to be enough content on Sunday to make it worth my while.

I have a handful of events I prioritize every year: Leviathan, ToC, Blackwood Tourneys, QoH (though with the new formatting this one is difficult), Folkestone Questing, FoB, and Uncle Cecils. Even these events are sometimes hard to make, for example this year we will miss Folkestone Questing for a Lady Gaga concert (sorry, not sorry) and often Cecil's is the same weekend as our family holiday party.

So basically I prioritize what is more important to me, and it isn't always Realms. In fact, the older I get, the more other things have become a priority, but Realms will always be an important part of my life. It's where most of my friends are. So even if other things in life become more important on occasion than making a given event, the relationships I have formed here will always be a priority. Let's face it, even if I am not an an event, I am probably hanging out with people I met at one.”


So there you have it, the reasons that we prioritize Realms. We all have other things to do sometimes that keep us away, but we always come back and it seems the biggest reason is for the community in one way or another. Most of us count other Realmsies among our best friends, and what better way to spend your weekend than with a group of good friends?

Thanks again for reading this week. Please join us next time when we answer the great question: "Should EHs start putting age limits on their events if they don't want minors attending, or should Staff, parents/guardians, and PCs alike police themselves and their friends if kids are present at an event?"


Questions can be sent to Sara “Zarine” Jessop via email (Sarajjesop@gmail.com), facebook messenger, or in person. The question box will also be making the rounds at various events. Please note if you'd like your question to remain anonymous and/or if you would like to address specific editors

Why Should You Go - Grimloch Grill and Games

By Hannah "Nhadala" Blood

Oh hey there everyone… I’ve been asked to write a “why you should go” for Grimloch Grill & Games. I’m gunna be honest here; I’m not really used to needing to explain myself. So here’s a list: 

1. It’ll be awesome & You’ll have fun.
2. All your friends will be there.
3. You get to hit those friends with bamboo and stuff.
4. There will be food - #snacks
5. Mixed drink contest - #Booze-o-hol.
6. I hear there’s a magic item and a salty favor.
7. Raffle prizes - #Winning
8. Poker and whatever - #Losing
9. Non-coms - #LaziestPersonIKnowIsMe
10. Weekend memories you can hide from your co-workers - #SecretNerds #JustWentCamping

There you go. Ten whole numbers in list form. See you there!

• Nhadala of Grimloch – Salt Queen -

Why Should You Go - Conditions of War

Alright, so I've been asked why you should go to Conditions of War.

With Enlon in the lead we at Gau Dring are trying to bring you an experience of a War Tournament not normally seen. We all have been to large scale battles and small team fights, they have their place and are fun, however they leave something to be desired. Many times at these tournaments you see people sitting around and either watching or are bored. Why not engage them? Why not give everyone something to do on the field.

With Conditions of War we are trying to do just that. We will have puzzles, and riddles scattered throughout the site, and will have to traverse the Field of Battle to find these clues and bits. Want to fight some Monsters? Earn points for your team by hunting down creatures during the day, just be sure not to be caught by the opposing Army. Enjoy working as a small group to go Dungeon Delving? We offer that for your enjoyment as well. However if your real joy is still in fighting, either individuals or large scale Maneuvers, we still have that for you.

"But Lako,, what does all this do?" you may ask. That's simple - everything you contribute to your team goes back to your base. You earn resource points to try and build your camp bigger and better because who knows, you may have to defend it. This does come into play on Sunday, there will be a three-tiered over the field battle where how you construct your base comes into play - donyou make it easy to defend and a maze to get to, or do you arm yourself with turrets and war machines?

However, it is not just the Tournament we can offer; Rua Thar Cinn has agreed to let you venture into something Saturday night. Who knows what you may come across.

At the end of this we are trying to supply everything we can to entertain the Adventurers of the Realms, so please come on down and enjoy your time, at night relax with friends around a fire and then during the day get out on the field and show who is the better Army of the Realms.

Sincerly,

Lakomasoi Nuntiak
Lord of Gau Dring
Solitaire of Harlequin
Blacksmith Extraordinaire

I Can't Even

I Can't Even...

By, 

Sara 'Zarine' Jessop

… Summer Color 1017

This past weekend at the annual Tournaments of Blackwood I was asked by many people what the summer color was. I wasn't quite sure what the Order of the Peacock had announced as the color, but common consensus was that it was either midnight blue or navy. While I love deep, dark colors, they are really not appropriate for summer. Summer should feature a bright, cheery color. Most of the plebs I spoke with agreed and kept demanding that I decide on a color.

At first I simply told people to wear bright cheery colors. White is an excellent summer color, as are some of the brighter pastels (though I prefer those for spring). Many colors were brought up and discussed and I hadn't quite settled on one until one in particular really struck my eye and called to me. The very lovely Dame Freesia was traipsing across the tourney field wearing a shawl of the most beautiful orange. “But Zarine, colors don't talk...” Yes, yes they do, and this color was yelling, “pick me, pick me!”

Orange is a lovely color. It's the color of the fires that we like to gather around. It's the color of the sunsets that give way to gambling and socializing. It's the color of the sunrise that sometimes we see while singing really really badly and realize we should go to sleep. It's the color of the delicious fruit of the same name. According to 'color psychology' (yes, that's a thing) orange is the color of joy and creativity and who doesn't like that?

So I have decided upon the orange shade of Flame. I know that there isn't much summer left, but it shouldn't be too hard to procure something of this color. You could even just sit around a fire or enjoy a day outside in the sun and be exposed to this happy color and wallow in it's warmth. 

You  could even pick up a little trinket rather than an article of  clothing

I hope that you all enjoy my pick and embrace it as it's really a color that makes people smile and I think we could all use a little more of that.

See you next Tuesday

Zarine is the proprietor and Madam at Alchimia Lupanar, a magic marshal approved practitioner of medicine, an award winning author, and has 36 years of experience in giving her unsolicited opinion.

Realms Resources

Realms Resources

by Kimberly "Mayumi" Lougee

In addition to Realmsnet.net, The View from Valehaven, The Library of Ivory, and a Facebook group, did you know that the realms now has its own Wiki? RealmsWiki.net is chock full of useful info for players, new and old. So far the focus has been on Crafting Knowledge, something the small wiki team knows a lot about. We have instructions on how to make your own realms-legal boff weapons, and tutorials for sewing garb and bits of kit. There is some info available on learning to fight, along with tips on role playing and getting involved when you are in character. We are also in the process of writing a brief summary of the rules, so they will be easier to explain to younger new adventurers.

With help, your help, the RealmsWiki can become a well rounded resource for anyone interested or involved in our Realms. We’re looking for help with crafts other than sewing and melee weapon construction, and someone who knows about fighting - both technique and tactics. Anything else you think a fellow LARPer should know, from pack lists to navigating Feast season with food allergies, will be a welcome addition. Request an account to help out directly, or just send an email info-drop to

 RealmsNetWiki@gmail.com

Arc Sphere Distortions

Arc Sphere Distortions

by Steven "Therian" Matulewicz

What You Missed at: Neden Monster Clean-Up

by Cory "Asharn" Roy

    We arrived in Neden ready to face not only monsters, but other adventurers in a friendly competition to see who can survive the whole day. Sir Syruss greeted us and explained to us what we were going to be doing that day. The games started shortly after. We were all given a map, a bunch of extra lives, and a head start before we would have to start trying to survive the oncoming monsters. Once the competition had started, I quickly made a truce with some of the other competitors. From there we worked together to try and find the treasure chests that were hidden around the land. Early on we encountered a couple different types of creatures from undead to people infected by brain slugs. We even encountered some strange monsters that required more than just fighting to beat. I personally enjoyed the different types of boss monsters that were out there they offered new and fun ways to interact with the creatures.

    Among the many fun aspects of this competition, every 2 hours our playing field would shrink giving us less places to hide. It didn't seem like much of an issue at first, but along with people running out of lives and coming back with brain slugs controlling them, this made the game a lot harder as we lost allies and gained enemies. We also had to worry about other adventurers who were going for the title Slaughterer of the Innocent. So not only were we fighting monsters everywhere we went at this point we were also fighting the people that we were used to adventuring with.

    As the last hours of the competition reached us the playing field shrunk a final time. I was able to see from one end to the other with almost no issue apart from some trees. Hiding spaces where limited and we were losing allies fast. It seemed as fast as we killed the monsters more appeared. It came down to only a handful of us at the end. We were just trying to survive— at this point fighting them seemed hopeless. I was only able to pick off some stragglers here and there hoping to get a few extra kills before the time ended. A lot of the time I would be swarmed and have no option but to run and hope I could get some distance between us. Finally, the horn was sounded marking the end of the competition. We all headed it back to hear the results of the game. 

There were three prizes for different aspects of the game. The titles were: Most Lively, won by Kwido; Slaughterer of the Innocent, which I'm unsure of who they are but they were very good at what they were doing; and Monster Killer, which I ended up winning after a tie breaker against Kwido. All in all it was a wonderful time with a lot of great people. Neden presented us with a fun challenge and from what I could tell most people had a great time. I for sure plan to compete again next year and I highly recommend everyone to do the same.   

-Asharn